Purlbed

Hand knitting › Basic fabrics and ribs

Stocking stitch (stockinette)

Smooth columns of little V shapes on the right side; rows of purl bumps on the back. The most common knitted fabric. Flat, knit every RS row and purl every WS row, so every stitch shows its knit side on the front. In the round, knit every round.

What you work it with

Hand knitting · Tools: A pair of straight needles or a circular needle in the size the yarn label suggests; any smooth yarn; a tapestry needle for the ends.

Symbol chart

One or two repeats of the stitch pattern, drawn as seen from the right side.
1234Knit on RS, purl on WSRead from the bottom: RS rows (odd) right to left, WS rows (even) left to right.

Steps

  1. Cast on the number of stitches you need.
  2. Row 1 (RS): knit every stitch.
  3. Row 2 (WS): purl every stitch.
  4. Repeat rows 1 and
  5. In the round: knit every round.
  6. Add an edge that lies flat (rib, garter or seed stitch) if the piece must not curl.
  7. Cast off.

The full card

What it looks like
Smooth columns of little V shapes on the right side; rows of purl bumps on the back. The most common knitted fabric.
How it behaves
Curls hard at the edges: the sides roll towards the back and the top and bottom roll towards the front. Stretches more across than up and down.
How it works
Flat, knit every RS row and purl every WS row, so every stitch shows its knit side on the front. In the round, knit every round.
Tools
A pair of straight needles or a circular needle in the size the yarn label suggests; any smooth yarn; a tapestry needle for the ends.
Parameters
Any number of stitches. Gauge: from a washed swatch, stitches and rows per 10 cm. Row gauge is usually about 1.3–1.4 × the stitch gauge [inference].
Steps
1) Cast on the number of stitches you need. 2) Row 1 (RS): knit every stitch. 3) Row 2 (WS): purl every stitch. 4) Repeat rows 1 and 2. In the round: knit every round. 5) Add an edge that lies flat (rib, garter or seed stitch) if the piece must not curl. 6) Cast off.
Charting
Every square is a plain knit square. Flat, the even (WS) rows are purled; in the round every round is knitted.
Limits and common problems
The edges curl: a scarf in plain stocking stitch rolls into a tube, so frame it with a non-curling stitch. Uneven purl rows (purling looser than knitting) show as stripes of wider rows ("rowing out"); try one size smaller needle for the purl rows [inference].
Combines with
Garter stitch, 1×1 rib, Seed stitch (moss stitch), Stranded colourwork, two colours, 4-stitch cable
Pieces and assembly
The body of most sweaters, hats and socks. Seam pieces with mattress stitch one stitch in from the edge [inference].

Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.

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